The Silence Between Us
by theminiaturist
Summary: I've started watching the fifth season of The 100 and this fic is me trying to work through how Bellakre might realistically happen in season 5. After six years apart Bellamy and Clarke seem very distant and I want to see them get close again. This fic will be pretty slow, relationships aren't rebuilt in a day! Diverges after Season 5 Episode 6 'Exit Wounds'.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Clarke had once had a dream about stars when she was very young. She had dreamed that far away in galaxies that no human eye could ever look upon there were stars that danced. The stars had banquets and parties and they danced without ceasing. In her dream all of the stars had been wearing beautiful dresses and suits, woven from the stardust floating through the cosmos. There was music in her dream, though she never could recall what it sounded like. When she had woken she had cried. Her parents had tried to calm her, but she had cried for hours. When she looked out the window of her room the stars were so beautiful, but they didn't dance.

The stars were very bright that night. Clarke watched them intently, as if worried they would fade away before her eyes. She remembered what they looked like in space. She remembered it all. She ran a hand through her hair, wondering if she would ever see space again. She missed it, in a way she hadn't thought she would. Maddy peeked her head out of the tent and coughed lightly.

"Are you coming to bed?"

"Soon."

"Will you tell me a story? A new one?" Clarke looked back at Maddy and laughed a little.

"Aren't you a little old for stories now?"

"Never."

"What do you want to hear a story about?" Maddy glanced back at the sleeping figure in their tent. Bellamy had been staying with them since Echo had left.

"Tell me a story about Bellamy. Did you know him on the Ark?" Clarke's heart clenched in her chest. Clarke beckoned Maddy out of the tent and Maddy settled into her side comfortably. She leaned her head on Clarkes shoulder and closed her eyes.

"I didn't know him very well on the Ark. I had met him a few times, there weren't many people on the Ark, but I didn't know him. He seemed…" She trailed off, lost in her memories. How had he seemed? "He had seemed private. I never saw him speak to people or smile. His shoulders were always hunched and he always walked quickly.

"I did talk with him once. I was helping my mom out in the infirmary and I was taking pills to a patient on bed rest in their quarters. I was running through the halls of the Ark and I ran head first into him. I was of course mortified and he was very badly bruised." Maddy snickered.

"I had knocked him down completely and I had knocked a box out of his hands. It had a bunch of books in it. I apologized probably a hundred times but he just brushed it off. He said it was no problem and he insisted it had been his fault. Then he walked away."

"I remember that." Clarke looked up. Bellamy was standing in the opening of their tent. His hair was curled from sleep and his eyes were red. Clarke smiled, or at least tried to. She kissed Maddy's head gently.

"All right Maddy time for sleep." Maddy got to her feet obediently and kissed Clarke's head.

"Good night Clarke, love you."

"Love you too." Maddy disappeared into the tent and silence fell over the night. Clarke looked up at the sky again, not sure what to say, if anything. Bellamy settled onto the ground next to her and sighed deeply. He seemed content with the silence, so she was too.

The silence was warm. She had sat with Bellamy in silence many times before, but it had been so long. She had forgotten what it felt like. She closed her eyes letting the memories wash over her. She couldn't help the tears that leaked from her eyes. She hadn't seen him in six years. Everyday of those six years she had called to him in the sky. She had waited for him so patiently, not knowing if he was dead or alive. She had waited for the others too, but she had only called out to one of them.

How could he be so calm? She remembered the man he had been so clearly. Fire and passion and raw emotion. Where was that man? The man who had told her that she was his head? The man who'd had so much heart. Now she felt as if the roles were reversed. Her heart was so raw and his was so closed.

"Clarke." She opened her eyes. Her face was wet and she wiped at her tears. She wasn't embarrassed. He had seen her cry before.

"It's been so long." Her voice cracked. She had imagined what she would say to him when she saw him again many times, but they all left her now. "I've been alone for so long. I never imagined-" She broke off as tears filled her eyes again. "I could have never imagined the way it feels to know you won't see another person for at least five years. When I found Maddy I was so desperate and so grateful. I don't think I would have made it without her." He didn't say anything for a while.

"I thought you were dead." The words chilled her. She had wondered many times during those six years if he was still alive. The thoughts had always left her paralyzed. She'd had to have hope he was alive or it would have been all for nothing.

"I thought you were dead and it was my fault. I couldn't forgive myself for years. I got over your death and now you're alive and I can't believe I just got over your death. How could I?" He turned towards her. She brought her eyes to his slowly. They shone with unshed tears. "How could I let myself move on?"

"It's good that you did." Her voice was weak. "It's natural to move on from death."

"But how could I?" His voice was haunted. He ran a hand through his hair, obviously very upset. "How could I let myself forget you?" His words stung. She thought of how different their years had been. She had thought of him everyday, perhaps every hour. He had moved on and let her become a distant memory. A dead friend of the past. She had meant no more than Jasper or Finn to him. She swallowed, her throat incredibly dry. Then she thought of Wells. He was dead too. She hardly ever thought about him anymore. The pain has lessened and she could think fondly of him. It was natural.

"You thought I was dead. It is only natural you moved on. I hope you could think fondly of me." She had meant her words to be light, but she could see they brought him pain.

"I could only think of your death. How horrible it must have been, and how I wasn't there for you." He choked up. "I tried for so long to think of you fondly, but it only brought me pain."

Clarke hadn't realized she was crying until he finished.

"I talked to you on the radio everyday. I told you about everything that was going on and I asked how things were on the ring. I told you about Maddy and about the earth and," a sob caught in her throat, " I always told you that leaving me was not your fault. I wanted you to be happy. I never wanted you to be in pain." Her words dissolved into sobs and she wiped her tears away as best as she could. "I just wanted you to find happiness and love and friendship. I wanted you to find peace." Her sniffling filled the silence.

"I couldn't." His voice broke. "You weren't there." The silence grew, but it was no longer filled with unspoken words.

Clarke must have fallen asleep at some point after that because the next thing she knew she was waking up beside Maddy. She sat up quickly afraid Bellamy had left in the night, but he was asleep on the floor, breathing softly. Maddy shifted in her sleep, but didn't wake. When she looked back at Bellamy his eyes were open. She got up quietly and slipped on her boots.

"Come on." She breathed softly, and he followed her out of the tent. Outside nothing moved. Light bled from the east but nothing else moved. Nothing else so much as breathed. They walked through the morning air, silent as before.

"Your hair is long." Clarke finally said. His hand moved to his neck self-consciously.

"I haven't looked in a mirror in a while."

"Do you want me to cut it?" He scratched his neck. Finally he nodded. After their walk they went back to the tent and found Maddy awake and drawing.

"Good morning! Bellamy look at this!" Maddy jumped up from her bed excitedly and produced a dagger from her bag. "Octavia gave this to me at training this morning! Isn't it beautiful? She made it herself." Bellamy took it in his hands and turned it over a few times.

"It's perfectly balanced."

"I know! It's amazing." Maddy took it back from him and babbled on for a few minutes about training with Octavia. Clarke grabbed a bowl from the ground and went outside to fill it with water. When she came back to the tent Bellamy and Maddy were laughing at something and Clarke couldn't help the smile that came over her face. It was so good to hear laughter again. To hear him laugh again.

"I can cut your hair now if you want."

"That'd be fine." He sat down on the bed and she climbed on behind him.

"Maddy can you hand me the lavender?" Maddy grabbed some lavender from Clarke's bag and gave it to her. Clarke mixed it into the water and the carefully poured it over Bellamy's head. She rubbed the water and lavender into his scalp and then pulled a dagger from her belt. She started at the base of his neck and then moved towards his ears. As she cut it, his hair started to regain some of its light curls.

"Do you want to shave?" She asked. "There's some water left in the bowl of you do."

"Do you have a mirror?" Maddy provided a sliver of mirror helpfully. Bellamy took the knife from Clarke and began shaving.

"Ah. It's been a while." He said laughing. A cut on his cheek bled freely. Clarke laughed and handed him a cloth. Maddy sat down in front of Bellamy on the floor and looked up at him expectantly.

"Will you tell me a story?" Bellamy wiped his now clean shaven face dry.

"What do you want to hear about?"

"Tell me about you and Echo!" Clarke choked, but Bellamy only laughed.

"It's okay I don't mind." He rubbed a hand over his knee. "I barely talked to her for the first three years. I blamed her for… for a lot of things. But I realized that people change. If Clarke had always treated me like the stupid kid I was when we first landed on the ground I never would have been more. But she treated me like the person I could be and I changed. And that's what happened with me and Echo. I grew to respect her and I grew to love her as well." Maddy glanced at Clarke. Clarke couldn't bring herself to look at Maddy.

"You aren't very good at telling stories." Bellamy laughed.

"No, I suppose not."

"I'm going to go and see the other kids." Maddy said, moving to leave.

"What other kids?" Clarke asked, immediately defensive.

"I met some other kids at training. I'm just going to hang out with them." Clarke hugged Maddy quickly.

"Be careful."

"I will be, don't worry so much."

"Be back before dinner time."

"Alright. Bye Clarke." Maddy disappeared out of the tent with a smile on her face.

"How old is she?" Bellamy asked, when she left.

"We're not sure exactly. My guess is about thirteen or fourteen."

"Who was she? Before praimfaya." Clarke sat down on a box across from him.

"She was a nightblood, a hidden one. No one knew about her before praimfaya. She lived in a small village not far from Polis. Her family worked a farm and raised cows."

"Why did they hide her?"

"She's not sure, but my guess is they didn't want to lose their daughter to the brutality of the succession." Clarke's voice was bitter.

"The conclave."

"Yes. She was young and she was an only child." The mention of siblings seemed to distract Bellamy. He ran a hand through his still-wet hair.

"O is…"

"She's still your sister. She did what she had to, in order to keep her people alive."

"Wonkru." Bellamy's voice was laced with sarcasm.

"She bled for that unity."

"But what does it mean? What did she do to unite them?" His eyes were filled with pain.

"She did what she had to." Clarke repeated. She knew it wouldn't satiate him forever, but for now it would be enough.

"I just want the fighting to end." He looked at a point behind her, eyes distant. "I want peace. I thought when we came back -" He shook his head. "I thought when we came back we would live in peace. I thought we would rebuild. I thought we would find you with the people in the bunker living in a thriving community. But then the ship came and it changed everything." He took a deep breath. "There will never be peace." His voice was hard.

"Not if we don't... work for it." She had almost said fight. "I want peace as well. I want it so badly." Her voice broke. "Since we landed on the ground we've been fighting. The past six years were peaceful in a way, but I felt like I was fighting everyday. I was alone, caring for Maddy on my own. I want her to live in peace more than anything."

"So what do we do?" Bellamy looked to her and her heart warmed. Not everything had changed.

"Not everyone wants peace." He shook his head.

"So we fight?"

"If we have to. Echo will hopefully be able to provide us will vital information. I don't want the prisoners to be our enemies if we can help it. But if they don't want peace, then they will be my enemies."

"You have an idea." It wasn't a question. He could see it in the way her hands fidgeted and the way she was staring at the ground.

"I have the beginning of one."

"What?"

"A common enemy." He leaned his elbows on his knees.

"And what might that be?"

"Anything that we want." Bellamy sat back.

"You want to con them into being allies with us? What about when the threat disappears? What happens to our alliance then?"

"That will be the test."

"So what is this grand foe you're concocting?"

"You won't like it." He sighed heavily.

"Clarke just tell me."

"Disease."

"What disease?"

"Malaria." Bellamy shook his head.

"Clarke you want to start an outbreak of malaria? If anyone finds out, they'll kill us." She had thought he would say her. They would kill her. But he was with her, even when he didn't agree with her. "There has to be another way. Where will we even get the parasite? I doubt there are any mosquitoes around to keep it alive. And how will we spread it? Or contain it? How will we make sure that people we care about don't die?" She waited for him to calm down.

"We don't have to do this. We could wait and see what Diyoza does." He ran a hand through his hair, agitatedly.

"Give Echo time. If that doesn't work we can look at this malaria option again." She saw he was worried. He was worried about Echo and he was worried about the others. They didn't know where Raven or Murphy or Emori was. They could be dead for all they knew. His people were scattered and divided. They were _his_ people now, his responsibility. She wondered that if it came down to it, who he would choose. Would he choose his partner, the girl he had led one-hundred scared kids with? Or would he choose them? She hoped he wouldn't be forced to choose, because she knew he would not choose her this time.

That night Clarke set up another cot for Bellamy to sleep on. He thanked her gratefully and fell asleep minutes after he laid down. She sat on her bed combing Maddy's knotted hair.

"Ow!" Maddy complained.

"Shh. You'll wake Bellamy." Maddy glanced at his sleeping form.

"He's taller than I had imagined. I always imagined him as a little shorter and a little more, I don't know, passionate. When he told the story about him and Echo last night I almost fell asleep." Clarke covered her laughter with her hand. "I was expecting some great love story! The story of two enemies become lovers!" Her animated hands fell to her sides.

"He's quiet and thoughtful. He's nice." Clarke reprimanded her.

"Nice and boring." Maddy said playfully. Clarke smacked the side of her head lightly.

"People change Maddy. He may be different, but he's still a good man."

"I thought you said there were no good guys?"

"Maybe just one." And Clarke meant it. Bellamy had always been a good guy even when he couldn't see it. He had been selfless and daring, and she could see that in him still. His heart was tender, even if it was covered in layers of scars.

"I think you're a good guy." Maddy said leaning back into Clarke lovingly.

"I'm not." And Clarke meant that too. She was a survivor. She was not good. Not the way that Bellamy was good.

"You are." Maddy insisted. "You are good." Clarke squeezed her hand.

"Time for bed now. You have training early tomorrow morning." Maddy nodded. Maddy drifted off to sleep easily, but Clarke couldn't sleep. She pulled on a cloak and flipped up the hood. She pulled a cloth mask over her face and went outside. Everything was silent. She walked through the ruined streets of polis and walked until she reached the other side. Then she began to run. She knew this land well. She must have run for a long time, but it didn't feel that way to her. Before too long she arrived at a house. It was ruined like many of the other things in this area, and the one thing that remained intact was the door oddly enough.

She passed by the house towards the river. The river was dark and she knew that it housed a number of dangers, but she wasn't here to see the river. She was here for something else. She kneeled by the bank of the river and stared at it. She couldn't help the smile that came to her face. She had been right.

By the bank of the river, a small green shoot pushed its way through the dirt. The earth was being reborn.

Please review! Let me know if you think Bellarke will happen in Season 5; I'm starting to think it won't ever happen.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you all for the reads and the faves/follows! That makes me very happy:) I'm not sure yet how long this fic will be. Currently I have about 12,000 words, but I'm anticipating that it will get much longer. Did anyone watch Acceptable Losses yet? Octavia is so much different...

Please review!

Chapter 2

Clarke stayed the night by the river. In the morning she spent a while just staring at that one green shoot. Perhaps they wouldn't need to have a war after all. If she was right, the earth was regrowing. She had prepared for this. She had collected seeds every year in the Shallow Valley. With the help of the farmers from the Ark and Monty she was sure they could grow things in the earth again. She wondered to herself why she hadn't told Bellamy yet. He certainly would have liked this plan better than her lazy, half-thought-out malaria plan, but somehow she couldn't bring herself to tell him yet. War was easy, hope was hard. If this plan failed it could cost them everything. Malaria was her back up plan.

When the sun started to rise she walked away from the river towards the house. Inside it reminded her of the time before. There was a bed against the far wall and a fireplace. There was a very old bathtub and a couch. She sat down on the couch, disturbing six years of sand and dust. She coughed loudly and stood back up.

When she arrived back at camp, sweaty and hot she saw Maddy walking with Octavia. Octavia was smiling down at Maddy. Clarke searched that smile for signs of disingenuity but could find none. She hoped that Octavia would do right by Maddy. Maddy was only a child and she thought the world of Octavia.

Octavia caught Clarke's eye and she walked over to her telling Maddy to wait. Octavia stood in front of Clarke, eyes boring into her.

"Hi Octavia."

"Hi Clarke." Octavia looked over Clarke. "Maddy has nothing to fear from me."

"She thinks very highly of you." Clarke said quietly. "She admires you."

"She is a wonderful fighter." Clarke scratched the back of her neck in frustration. It was like she and Octavia were having different conversations. Maddy was so much more than a fighter. But Octavia could only see her as a warrior.

"She's a child."

"Lexa was a child as well." Clarke felt her heart drop.

"They are nothing alike. Maddy does not want power. She has no desire to be the commander."

"She has nothing to fear from me." Clarke opened her mouth to say more, but Octavia was already walking back towards Maddy. Maddy shot Clarke a look then walked off with Octavia. Clarke was left staring at the space they had occupied.

"What are you looking at?" Clarke turned around so fast, she lost balance. She stumbled then rubbed her head.

"Nothing. When did you get up?" Bellamy frowned.

"An hour or two ago."

"Have we gotten any word from Echo?" His mood darkened.

"Not yet."

"She'll get to Raven soon enough." He only nodded. "I'm going out scouting today. The food that Diyoza sent us won't last long. We can go to the river to get fish and if we go to the west of eden we can go to the ocean. The water was minimally affected by praimfaya. We should be able to fish and to harvest seaweed and algae." Bellamy made a face.

"What?" Clarke asked.

"Algae. That's all we could eat on the ring. It's disgusting." Clarke laughed.

"I hope you're not too sick of it. It might be our only option if you don't want to go to war with Diyoza."

"Are you going to take the rover?"

"Is it fixed?"

"Yeah some of the people from the bunker were able to get it working alright."

"Then yeah let's take the rover."

"How long is it to the ocean?"

"To the ocean it's a couple of days, but I just want to go to the river today. Can you go get some spears? There should be some in the bunker."

"Alright, meet you back here in ten." Clarke was amazed how easy it was to fall back into routine with him. It was like they had spent no time apart, and yet she felt the distance as if it were physical. The juxtaposition of proximity and distance had her reeling. She wondered if he felt the same.

The rover was parked not too far from the bunker. It was badly scratched, but the solar panels were working just fine. She started the engine and climbed into the back to make space for the spears. She drove it to the place where she was supposed to meet Bellamy and saw that he had brought two people. She called out of the window of the rover.

"Monty, Harper!" They smiled and waved. Bellamy climbed into the front seat and threw the spears in the back. Monty and Harper climbed in the back and Harper began going on about something she had seen last night.

"I thought we could use some extra hands." Clarke only smiled. He leaned in towards her ear and whispered softly. "I told Maddy so she wouldn't worry."

"Thank you." Her words were barely audible over the hum of the rover. She drove fast over the land, away from the broken city of polis. The river appeared over the horizon and Harper laughed loudly.

"I guess it's a good thing Diyoza only cares if we come near Shallow Valley."

"We hope." Monty said with a quick glance towards the sky.

"Just let us know if you see any missiles." Bellamy joked lightly.

"Will do." Harper laughed. The three of them fit together perfectly. Clarke felt the backs of her eyes burn. She no longer fit with them. She was an outsider. She was not Wonkru, she was not Skikru. She was something else entirely now. Her right hand was resting on her leg and she almost jumped when Bellamy put his hand over her's. She looked at him. She could see the words in his eyes.

 _One people._

If they truly wanted peace they had to forget about all their past loyalties. There could be no more 'your people, my people'. There could only be people. She knew that was how it would have to be, but she doubted it would be easy, maybe not even possible. It was like trying to transcend family ties. It was nearly impossible.

She pulled up to the river about a mile from the house. She didn't want to risk anyone seeing the shoot. Not when it could be meaningless. She would tell everyone. Soon.

She pulled the spears from the back and threw one to each of her companions. She had light, black pants on and she rolled them up to her knees. She pulled her shoes off. She waded into the river. The river was very wide. It was perhaps half a mile wide.

"I never thought about the water." Monty said absentmindedly. He was wading into the water behind Clarke.

"How so?" Clarke asked.

"The oceans would have been virtually unaffected by Praimfaya. The rivers and lakes would have been irradiated, but now that the radiation is no longer a threat the creatures that survived in the oceans can move back to the rivers." Clarke tried to hide her smile. That was exactly what she had been thinking.

"Yes." She waded farther into the water. "Watch out for a fish about this big." She held up her hands for them to see. "It's usually a white-brown color and it has venom." Harper arched an eyebrow.

"Is there anything else we should know about?"

"Watch out for the sharks." Harper jumped. "I'm only kidding." Clarke said smiling. "But really watch out for those fish. I had one bite me a couple years ago and I almost died." Monty swallowed.

"Well this should be fun." He said sarcastically. Clarke stood still watching the water. Soon she saw a silver dart. She threw her spear into the water expertly and pulled out a wriggling fish.

"Got one!" She cried happily. They caught seventeen fish in total that day. Most were under ten pounds, but Clarke caught a couple that were easily fifteen pounds. A couple hours before sunset they were sitting on the bank of the river, smoking the fish. Clarke and Bellamy had gutted and cleaned the fish and Monty had built the fire. Harper was taking a nap and nursing a sore ankle. She had overturned it in the river.

Bellamy sat at Clarke's side, shoulders almost touching. He was completely soaked and his hair dripped. He shivered involuntarily. She shrugged out of her sweater and handed it to him. He thanked her and pulled it over his head. It was small on him, but it served its purpose. Monty laid down next to Harper and promptly fell asleep.

"Real help they are." Bellamy joked. Clarke smiled lightly.

"What was it like?" Her voice was quiet, and she looked at him expectantly. Bellamy stared into the fire.

"Which part of it?"

"All of it."

"It was…" He seemed at a loss for words. "It was peaceful sometimes. Other times it was infuriating. Sometimes I loved all of them, and sometimes I didn't want to see any of them for days. Six years is a awfully long time to only see five other people."

"Or one." Clarke said. He nodded.

"Sometimes I would just sit in a quiet room for days. Sometimes I couldn't bare to be alone. It was life, but on such a small scale. I felt… so far removed. I worried about O and I wondered what it would be like on the ground. It was like I was stuck on the Ark all over again. What was it like here?" She laughed.

"It was much the same. Sometimes I wouldn't let Maddy out of my sight and sometimes I would go off and just stare at the stars. I worried about Octavia and I worried about you. Everything was so silent." Bellamy rubbed his arm, shivering again. Clarke poked the fire.

Monty shifted.

"Is the fish done?"

"Just about." Clarke said. She started to put the fish into the bag she had brought. Bellamy got up and started to help, but a sudden cough wracked his body. "Sit." She ordered. He sat back down and she kneeled next to him. She put a hand on his chest.

"Breathe." He breathed in deeply. She felt a tiny rattle. She sat back on her heels and smiled lightly at him. He looked at her expectantly, eyebrows raised. "Just relax. I'll get the fish. When we get back to polis I can get you some meds."

"Is it serious?"

"I don't think so." She patted his back lightly and picked the bag back up. When she finished getting the fish, she put the fires out and helped Bellamy back to the rover. Monty helped Harper back in and they were all ready to go.

A sudden shift in the air put Clarke on edge. She sniffed the air deeply.

"Something wrong?" Bellamy asked, gazing at her inquisitively. She didn't answer. She stepped away from the rover and peered at the sky. Her eyes widened.

"There's a sandstorm. We have to hurry." She climbed in and slammed the door. Bellamy followed suit. She slammed on the accelerator and the rover sped off. The sky darkened and Clarke bit the inside of her cheek. If they got stuck in a sandstorm she would never forgive herself. She pushed the rover harder. She felt Bellamy's hand on her shoulder, a reassuring presence. She nodded her thanks to him. She had forgotten what it was like for someone to always be at her back. She wasn't constantly looking over her shoulder because she knew someone else was doing it for her.

She pulled into polis, skidding on debris. She parked the rover near the edge of the city then jumped out. They were safe here from sand and glass, but they wouldn't want to be outside while the winds were raging. She pulled the bag over her shoulder then helped Harper out. They all ran back to Clarke's tent, surprising Maddy. Maddy jumped up from the bed looking from Clarke to Bellamy.

"Is something wrong?"

"Sandstorm." Bellamy breathed out. He sat down on his cot hard, and began coughing. Maddy looked at him frightened.

"Are you okay?" Clarke put Harper down on her bed and Monty sat down on the floor.

"Where have you guys been staying?" Clarke asked Monty.

"They set up a tent for us not far from here."

"You can stay here tonight if you want. Harper looks tired." Harper was already sleeping soundly on Clarke and Maddy's bed. Monty nodded at her gratefully and climbed up beside her.

"Maddy we can sleep on the ground tonight." Maddy nodded easily.  
"Is Bellamy okay?" Bellamy was breathing hard. Clarke went and sat next to him and put her hand on his back.

"May I?" She asked, holding the hem of his shirt. He nodded absentmindedly. She pulled up the hem of his shirt and slipped her hand onto his back. His skin was hot to the touch.

"Are you hot?" She asked.

"I'm freezing."

"Maddy I need blankets and hot water. Wear your cloak the winds are still going outside." Maddy nodded and ran out of the tent. "Breathe for me." She directed Bellamy. He breathed in and this time she definitely felt a rattle. She rubbed his back trying to ease the tension she felt there.

"I think you just have a cold, but you haven't been on the ground in a very long time or been around many people. You probably just picked it up from somebody in Wonkru. We just need to make sure it doesn't develop into anything more serious." He nodded. "You'll be okay."

"Thank you Clarke." She put his shirt back and stood up as Maddy returned.

"Drink all of this." She said handing him the jug Maddy had brought back. He drank it quickly. He laid back and she piled blankets on top of him. He looked up at her, eyes glassy. "Just relax." She said quietly. "You just need rest and plenty of water. You'll be fine." Her words sounded strained even to her. She knew logically that he would be fine, but she couldn't help but worry. She had just gotten him back. Even a cold felt like a terrible risk.

He gripped her hand as she was turning away.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"I know." It was barely more than a whisper. Maddy was standing near the opening of the tent, watching them. Clarke left his side and went to Maddy.

"Walk with me?" She asked. Maddy nodded. Outside the wind had died down and they could hear some people talking. Maddy grabbed Clarke's hand and held it tightly.

"Is everything okay?" Clarke asked.

"I love you."

"I love you too." Clarke said confused. "Maddy is everything okay?"

"I just... I want you to be happy." Clarke smiled.

"I am. I'm with you."

"I understand that you had a family before me." Maddy said looking into the distance. "I'm not jealous. They were your family before me. Bellamy was your family. I get it. I'm not jealous."

"I didn't think you were." Clarke said.

"I just want you to know you don't have to worry about me." Maddy struggled to find the words. "I like having him around." She finally said. "I can share." She gave Clarke a lopsided smile. Clarke laughed.

"Alright Maddy."

"I'm serious!"

"I know you're serious."

"You're right. He is a nice guy."

"What about the others, do you like them?"

"Monty and Harper seem cool. I want Monty to teach me how to make cool stuff. Like bombs!"

"I don't think so."

"Clarke please! Monty is a pro, we'll be careful."

"We'll see." Clarke said pulling Maddy close. "Let's go to bed. I'm exhausted. And I was thinking," She whispered conspiratorially. "We could go to the beach tomorrow."

"What about training with Octavia? I can't leave." Maddy pulled back quickly. Clarke bit her lip.

"Okay." She didn't want to fight about this. Not now. "Will you be okay if we go to the ocean? We'll probably be gone for a week or two." Maddy smiled.

"I said I was okay sharing."

"That's not what I meant Maddy."

"I'll be fine. Octavia will take care of me." Clarke shook her head. She would ask Monty and Harper to stay behind with Maddy. She didn't trust Octavia with Maddy as much as she wanted to.

"Alright. Let's get to bed." They walked back to the tent and curled up on the floor. The other three slept soundly and Clarke listened to the sound of Bellamy breathing for a long time before drifting off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Raven was in a cell. She had stopped screaming out insults and curses days ago. Now she just waited. She knew they would come for her. Someone would come for her. Clarke and Bellamy had never left her behind before. She had to believe that they would come for her. She heard a scratching at her door.

She sat up quickly, cursing as her leg protested in pain. They had taken her leg brace, ensuring she would not be able to run away. She crawled to the door quietly, listening at the door. She heard nothing for a while. Then the scratching started again. She scratched back hesitantly. She wasn't sure who it might be, but none of her guards had scratched at the door in all of the days that she had been here. The sound went away.

"Who's there?" She cried frantically, but she knew they had gone. She cursed. She started screaming at anything that would listen. She would get out if it killed her. She was Raven Reyes, no cell could hold her.

Clarke couldn't go to the ocean the next day or the day after. Bellamy was still sick and Harper's ankle ended up being sprained. She thought about trying to convince Maddy to go with her, but Maddy's excitement over training dissuaded her. Though she was worried for Maddy she couldn't help but smile when she saw how happy Maddy was. That particular morning Maddy had bested all of her opponents in training and Octavia had taken her afterwards for a private training session. Clarke was worried sick because she couldn't find Maddy, and when Maddy finally did come back to the tent Clarke whirled on her with barely concealed anger. She kept her voice low because Bellamy was asleep behind a curtain, but her eyes flashed with rage.

"Where have you been?" She hissed. Maddy's obvious elation, dimmed considerably.

"I was with Octavia."

"I couldn't find you anywhere! Don't you understand that this isn't the shallow valley? Our world is infinitely more dangerous, and you have to tell me where you're going. You have to check in with me, you can't just do what you want. This world is not safe! Wonkru is not safe."

"Octavia won't let anything happen to me." Maddy said, hurt showing on her face."

"Octavia is not your friend! You are a threat to her. Don't you understand that? The closer she keeps you, the less of a threat you are. You don't mean anything to her." Maddy had tears in her eyes.

"You don't know that! She trained me privately today. You don't know anything about her! She is a good leader, and she isn't afraid of anything."

"She's afraid of you! That's why she's kind to you. She doesn't like you or think you're special. She wants to keep you in line."

"Maybe you're just jealous because she's a better leader than you are. She can actually keep her people alive!" Clarke reeled back as if she had been physically hit. A small part of her screamed that she had to make things right with Maddy or Maddy would never forgive her, but the larger part of her was too angry.

"I forbid you to train with her anymore. You have to stop this now, before you get hurt. I'm doing this for your own good Maddy. Tomorrow you'll tell Octavia you can't train with her anymore." Maddy looked at Clarke, practically shaking with anger.

"Actually Clarke, I don't _have_ to do anything." Maddy's voice was frighteningly similar to Octavia's in that one moment. Her voice was quiet and indifferent, but her eyes were hard. "You're not my mother and you're not my commander. Octavia is. I'm Wonkru now, and you can't order me around anymore." Maddy turned on her heel and stalked out of the tent. Clarke was so shocked she didn't run after her. She sat down on her bed, hard.

She knew that she wasn't Maddy's blood, but she had thought they were tied together by more than that. A cold seed of fear planted itself in her heart at that moment. Perhaps she and Maddy were tied together by nothing more than extreme circumstances. The most extreme circumstances. Now that those circumstances were disbanded they would become nothing to each other. It wrenched Clarke's heart in two. She glanced at the curtain.

Maddy's words had been eerily similar to those Bellamy had spoken to her so long ago.

 _I don't take orders from you._

Clarke put her head in her hands. Maddy meant so much to her. Was it possible that she meant much less to Maddy? She knew that she woudn't be able to bare it if that was true.

Bellamy shifted behind the curtain. He coughed, once, twice. Clarke got up and parted the curtain with her arm. He was reaching for the water at his bedside, but he was almost too tired to move. She sat down beside him on a box and lifted the water to his lips. She propped his head up as he drank and he smiled at her gratefully.

"That was quite a fight." He said hoarsely.

"You're supposed to be sleeping."

"I could hardly sleep through that." She ducked her head, embarrassed.

"Did you hear the whole thing?"

"Yeah." Clarke sighed.

"Sorry." He had closed his eyes and was resting his head on his pillow. For a second Clarke thought he had fallen asleep. Then his hand wrapped around her's comfortingly.

"This is normal."

"Nothing about this is normal. We were the only two people left on earth. Maybe that's the only reason we banded together. What if I mean nothing to her now?" Bellamy squeezed her hand.

"Not possible." His eyes opened and peered into her's. "Not possible." He repeated. "I saw the way she looked when Diyoza had captured you. She was scared out of her mind. She was calm under pressure, but if anything had happened to you, she would have been devestated. She loves you Clarke." Bellamy's eyelids fluttered. He was exhausted. She stood feeling guilty.

"You need to sleep Bellamy. You're still sick." He smiled.

"I'll be okay." He could always read her so well. She was worried about him and she was worried about Maddy. Her worries had not decreased since they had come back to the ground and the bunker had opened. They had only increased. She kissed his hand quickly.

"I know." Then she left the tent. She had to make things right with Maddy before she left for the beach. She found Maddy on the outskirts of Polis, crying her eyes out. She sat down a couple feet away from her and waited. Of course there had been times during their six years where she and Maddy had fought. But of course they had gotten over it eventually. There was only the two of them. Now the stakes were much higher.

"Octavia is my friend." Maddy finally said. Her voice was broken and filled with tears. She sniffed loudly. "She doesn't mean me any harm."

"I know." Clarke said softly. Maddy scooted closer to Clarke and put her head on Clarke's shoulder.

"Why can't you be happy for me? I'm the best fighter they have. Octavia thinks I will make a great warrior."

"I am happy for you. But I love you Maddy and that means I want what's best for you. I just want to protect you, that's all."

"I know." Maddy whispered. "I love you too." Clarke wrapped her arms around Maddy.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you. Of course you can still train with Octavia, just please be careful."

"I'm sorry too. Octavia is not a better leader than you." She looked into Clarke's eyes. "You don't have to worry so much about me. I'm smart Clarke. You made me that way. Just trust me."

"I do. I just don't trust her."

"Trust me." She said again. Maddy was so exhausted from crying and fighting that she fell asleep right there after a few minutes. Clarke stroked Maddy's hair and braided it as she slept. When Maddy woke up they went back to the tent and found Monty there tending to Bellamy.

"I just brought some of the fish for him to eat."

"Thanks Monty." He shrugged and smiled.

"Is Harper okay?" Clarke asked. Monty pressed his lips together.

"She's just angry that she twisted her ankle. She says she's fine other than that." Clarke patted Monty's shoulder.

"She'll be fine. How's our patient?" She asked looking down at Bellamy. Bellamy opened his red eyes and smirked at her.

"You'd think I was dying from the way you guys are fussing over me. I have a cold, I'm fine. I've survived much worse."

"You're feverish. It could easily develop into something more serious. Have you been drinking water?"

"Yes Clarke."

"You should sleep some more." He sighed heavily.

"If I sleep anymore I'll die of boredom."

"You'll heal if you sleep." Clarke said pressing his shoulders down onto the cot gently.

"I feel better." He said pleadingly.

"You still need to rest." Bellamy sighed and relented.

In the morning Bellamy was no longer hot to the touch and his eyes were clear. He was weak, but he could breathe easier. She forced him to drink some more water and ordered bed rest. He would need his strength for the trip to the ocean. He insisted he was fine and that he could leave that night. Clarke talked to Monty about the trip to the ocean and he agreed to watch Maddy very carefully. She left him her gun. She wasn't taking any chances with this.

She was rethinking even going on the trip when she saw a fight break out not far from her tent over food. They needed the food and she was the only one who knew a safe way to the ocean. She sighed. It was so odd being the only one who knew the earth. The only human left who could navigate the dangers of the land. She shook her head in wonder. It was so odd.

She started to make a mental inventory of everything she would need on the trip. She would need some food and bags to bring back the seaweed and fish. She would need warm clothes and they would need a radio so they could talk to Monty and Harper just in case Echo disabled the eye in the sky. They would need weapons, just in case. They would need at least one tank of oxygen as well if the weather turned suddenly. The farther they got from Shallow Valley the worse the air quality. Her trips to the ocean had always been short before because they'd had no access to oxygen. She massaged her temples.

Bellamy stirred on his cot and ran a hand through his hair.

"Clarke?"

"I'm here."

"What time is it?"

"I think it's a little after eleven. Maddy left an hour or so ago for training."

"When did you want to leave for the ocean?"

"We can leave tonight. Are you feeling better?" He swung his legs onto the ground, feet flexing.

"Yeah I feel better. Still a little groggy."

"I can drive." She said, lightly. He laughed.

"That's probably smart. Where are Harper and Monty?"

"They're back at their tent. They're going to stay here since Harper still isn't able to put weight on her ankle." Clarke rubbed her arm. He peered at her intently.

"Is something bothering you? I could hear you pacing in my sleep."

"I'm worried about Maddy." She stared at the ground, afraid he would be hurt that she didn't trust Octavia. Instead he simply shook his head.

"O is… she is not who she used to be."

"None of us are." Clarke's voice was tight. She was hardly the person she had imagined that she would be as a child. She had imagined herself to be heroic and courageous and the traits she found in herself now were a far cry from those. Her father would be ashamed of her. That shame burned her to the core.

"I wasn't there for her." She looked up to find that he staring off into the distance. His hands were clenched on his knees. "She may not need my protection anymore, but no one should be alone the way she is. Do you see the way people look at her? They're terrified of her. No one can live like that forever."

"It's hard to come back from that kind of life." Clarke said sadly. He shook his head, jaw tense. "Once you feel that kind of power it's nearly impossible to come back from that." He made a strangled noise in the back of his throat.

"It's my fault. I should have stayed with her. I should have known." Clarke kneeled in front of him, grasping his hands.

"You couldn't have known. And what would they have done on the ring without you? I've seen the way _they_ look at you. They follow you now. Not me. They needed you too."

"What about you?" He asked. "Did you need me too?" He asked, trying to lighten the mood. She felt the tears before she could stop them. She nodded, words impossible in that moment.

"Of course I did." She said, as soon as she could. "You inspire us to be more than we are, Bellamy. People look to me for clear action and hard decisions, but they look to you when their hearts are hurting."

"The head and the heart." He said with a hint of irony in his voice.

"The head and the heart." She agreed. He stood finally and she followed him.

"So what do we need to pack for this trip?" He asked. She gave him the list and they divided up the duties. She got the bags and clothes and he got the food and the radio. When they finished later that night Maddy, Monty and Harper were already back at the tent. Maddy had saved some of the fish for them though most had been passed out among Wonkru.

Maddy was more quiet than she usually was. She had stopped talking as much about her training with Octavia. Clarke knew that was her fault and she had extremely conflicted feelings about it. She loved Maddy and wanted Maddy to be happy, but not if it meant she was in danger. Things were normal between them except when someone brought up Octavia. For that reason Octavia had become a forbidden topic between them. Clarke stood, glancing outside.

"Well, Bellamy and I had better head out soon."  
"Already?" Maddy fretted.

"We need food badly." Maddy nodded.

"I wish I could come with you." Clarke shook her head.

"Despite everything you're still safer here."

"What does that mean?" Maddy asked, immediately on the defensive.

"Nothing." Clarke forced a smile to her face. "I love you Maddy, I'll see you soon." Maddy hugged her quickly, still frowning.

"Love you Clarke." Her voice was flat. Clarke tried to hide the way that it hurt her. Bellamy stood with her and they said their goodbyes to Monty and Harper.

Their walk to the rover was very quiet. The first few hours of their drive were equally quiet. Clarke had a lot to think about. Part of her raged at Maddy. Their fight ran through her head again and again. The other part of her was just worried. Octavia was creating a rift between Clarke and Maddy. All because of a few stories she had told Maddy when she was a kid. If anyone was at fault here it was her. Clarke cursed herself. She couldn't believe that she was going to lose Maddy to Blodreina of all people.

She had cared for Maddy for six years, single-handedly. Didn't she deserve come kind of loyalty for that? What had Octavia done? She was furious if she was honest with herself. She slammed her hand onto the steering wheel and Bellamy looked at her expectantly.

"Need to talk?"

"I just… I can't believe Maddy!" Clarke exploded. "I take care of her for six years, and your sister is around for two weeks and she's all Maddy can talk about it!" Clarke sputtered indignantly. "It's infuriating." Bellamy laughed.

"Welcome to the life of being a sibling." She looked at him incredulously. "You pour all your love into them. You sacrifice everything for them and," He shook his head. "They won't ever thank you for it. They'll never pick you first, because you're safe to them. You're their safety net, not their friend." She realized that he had experienced the same thing with Octavia a hundred times over. Everything he ever did had been to keep her safe and she had never seen it that way. She had railed against his protection, actively fought it, and spurned him more times than Clarke could count. She could count the number of times Octavia had thanked him on one hand.

"Is that really how it's going to be?" He shrugged.

"That's how it's always been for me. On the Ark I was the one of two people she saw for nearly sixteen years. I was basically God to her. Then her world got infinitely wider and I was… nothing. I was just her brother." Clarke marveled at the similarity of their situations.

"Yeah."

"I became a tyrant to her." Clarke nodded. She remembered that time at the drop ship well. Octavia had bucked Bellamy's protection and his authority at every turn. She had deliberately disobeyed him whenever she could.

"The drop ship feels like a lifetime ago." She mused.

"It really does. I was just a kid. We all were. But it didn't feel that way. We thought we knew everything because we had to. They gave us no choice. But we didn't know everything and we made so many mistakes because we were just scared kids pretending to be adults.

"We couldn't afford to second guess ourselves and so we never stopped to think about whether or not it was right or wrong." He was silent for a while. "I just want peace. That's all I want."

"Quite a big ask." Clarke said softly.

"It shouldn't be. But it is. It shouldn't be so hard to ask the vestiges of the human race to band together. With only fifteen-hundred people left you would think we would give up fighting each other."

"I think we would still fight even if only fifteen people were left." Clarke said. He nodded.

"You're probably right." She laughed suddenly.

"Remember how much we used to fight?" She said, raising her eyebrows.

"Of course." He said laughing. "I thought _you_ were a tyrant."

"And I thought you were a bastard." He leaned his head back against the headrest and laughed.

"I _was_ a bastard."

"You meant well."

"No, I was just drunk on freedom." He said shaking his head. She dipped her shoulder.

"That's true. I may have been a bit prudish." She conceded.

"Just a bit?" He asked indignantly.

"I was a well-meaning prude." He just shook his head.

"We didn't know how bad things would get." His voice was dark. She thought of the personal hardships they had both been through. She had lost Finn and Lexa and he had lost Gina. She couldn't imagine how worried he probably was about Echo even now. She wondered if she would ever love again. She looked at Bellamy. She didn't know if she could put her heart through it again. He noticed her look.

"What?"

"Are you okay? With Echo being gone I mean." He put his head back.

"I'm worried of course." His eyes were veiled. "I don't know what I would do without her. She just, she was always there for me on the ring." Clarke nodded. "I would blame myself if something happened. It was my fault when Gina died. I don't think I could live through that again." He paused. "I thought your death was my fault too. It's agonizing to think that someone you love died because of you. It's like no hell I've experienced before."

"I killed Finn. Lexa died in my arms." She looked at him. "I understand."

"Sorry Clarke. Of course you understand."

"I thought I killed you at the drop ship. The pain was… unimaginable." He nodded. She understood perfectly. Too many people had died because of her. At some point Bellamy fell asleep and she drove in silence for a while.

She was happy. Talking with Bellamy was helping Clarke find herself again. Her thoughts had been silent for too long. Talking to Bellamy on the radio had been probably the only thing that kept her sane for those six years. Having him talk back was so much better. But she still felt the distance between them, and if she was being honest she knew what was causing it. Or rather who.

But she couldn't bring herself to be upset about it. How could she? All she wanted was for him to be happy, to have his peace. It wasn't fair for her to be mad that she couldn't have her partner back because he was in love. He wouldn't begrudge her if she was in his place. But the heart was a funny thing. It didn't always follow the directions of the head. She chuckled under her breath.

That had always been true of her and Bellamy. She could order him around all she wanted but he was probably the one person who hadn't followed her blindly. His words came back to her. _I don't take orders from you._ And it had always been true. The heart didn't always listen to the head.

She stopped the rover for the night. She was tired and the drive to the ocean would take at least three days. She might as well stop and sleep a bit. She leaned her head back and slept. She was out in minutes.

"Clarke!" She woke with a start.

"What? What's wrong?" She asked frantic.

"Clarke look!" It was still dark outside and she couldn't see Bellamy very well. He was pointing at the sky, out of the rover window. The stars were falling. Her breath left her.

"They're... "

"It's a meteor shower!" He said excitedly.

"It's beautiful." She breathed. The air was cool and a breeze blew her hair behind her head. "I had a dream once," He nodded to show her he was listening, but kept watching the stars. "That the stars danced."  
"I used to dream all the time." Bellamy said absentmindedly. "But it all stopped when came to the ground. Most of my dreams were about the ground anyway. When we came to the ground I only had nightmares." She nodded.

"The same for me. Most nights I just don't dream at all."

"I dreamed on the ring again. Mostly about earth, but sometimes I dreamed of space too. Do you think if we could get to it, there's a planet we could live on out there?"

"Maybe." Clarke felt her heart sink. She should tell him about the shoot. He had a right to know. Here she was wanting him to trust her more, and she couldn't tell him about possibly the most important thing to the human race at this point in time.

"Bellamy."

"Mm?"

"I have something to tell you. Something important."

"Okay." He seemed nonplussed. He kept staring out the window. "Go ahead." He added, when she said nothing.

"I think the earth is being reborn. There's a shoot near the river. I didn't tell you at first because I wasn't sure and I didn't want to get your hopes up. But I think that soon we will be able to plant crops again. Trees. Flowers. The earth will be survivable again." Bellamy smiled wanly.

"Maybe we won't have to fight after all." Still he didn't turn to look at her. "I understand." He said finally. "Why you didn't tell me." After that they were both silent. The stars continued to fall in the silence.


	4. A Short Note

I forgot to put it with the chapter, but thank you so much to those of you who followed and faved!

A special thanks to and riverdalefanatic! Your reviews are much appreciated.

I like Echo's character just fine, but I was really hoping that Bellarke would happen this season. I do want Echo to be happy though so she will have an integral role in this fic.

Thank you again for the reviews!


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you for all the follows! It's very encouraging. Please review, I welcome all feedback. If you don't like something tell me and I will do my best to fix it. If you want to see something specific happen in this fic let me know! This chapter will focus on some other characters and expect to see some more of Murphy in this fic. I really like his character this season and even though all the characters have amazing development, his is one of my favorite stories. Thanks to all for reading!

Chapter 4

Raven's leg was killing her. She had taken to laying on her side and sleeping all day. She could hardly bear to do anything else. They gave her two meals a day and water, so she wasn't starving, but she was hardly living either. She slept most of the time, and stared at the door in silence the rest of the time. No one had come back to scratch at the door since the first time. She was starting to lose hope that it had been there at all. Perhaps she had imagined it after all. Her eyes drifted shut again. She knew Clarke and Bellamy were coming for her. They had to be.

Echo was starting to think that coming on this mission had been a huge mistake. She was locked in a room with all the other defectors. The collar around her neck was starting to itch. It had been nearly a week since she had left and she was no closer to getting Raven out, finding Murphy and Emori, or getting a back door open for Monty. She felt hopeless. Nothing could happen before she freed Raven. Raven was the key to all of this. She had to get her out. She knew where they were keeping her, but had no idea how to get into the cell or how to get her out of it. She put her head in her hands.

She was tired and sore. They had not let the defectors out of this room since yesterday. They were virtually prisoners. Echo was starting to think that Octavia had been right. The defectors would have been better off staying with Wonkru, however insane their leader was. She shook her head. Nia had been a merciless leader. Lexa had been a ruthless leader. Octavia was something else entirely. Echo could see the way people were bound to her in the way they walked, talked, even breathed. Octavia was more than a leader to her people, she had become God. In a way Echo admired the girl for what she had accomplished. She had held together fifteen-hundred people made up of thirteen clans for six years and had only lost four hundred of those people. Some would call that a miracle.

She had done the impossible, but now she was doing something harder. She was trying to keep her people together with fear when their world had been opened up to them infinitely. She would need more than fear to keep her people together now. She would need her brother. Echo shook her head. Octavia needed Bellamy, but she always pushed him away. She needed her brother and she needed Clarke as well. The people would follow those three to the ends of the earth. They already had. They needed to band together if they wanted to survive Diyoza.

Echo spit, just thinking of that woman. She was the worst kind of fake. She had no morals, no values, nothing had worth to her. She cared for nothing, and therefore no one could hurt her. She proclaimed peace, but her history said otherwise, and history was as good an indicator of future behavior as anything else. She wasn't just cunning, she was cruel. Echo had served under many rulers, but none of them had been cruel. Each of them had believed with everything they were, that every action they took was for the benefit of their people. Diyoza had no people. She had soldiers. Expendable soldiers.

Echo couldn't stand the woman. Every time she saw her on the ship she wanted to end her, but she knew that wasn't her mission. She was here to get their defenses down. She was here to usher an army in. She still wasn't sure how she felt about that. Was now really the time to be going to war? It seemed like possibly the most ill-suited time to go to war, but it seemed like there was little choice.

Octavia would not back down, and neither would Diyoza. They needed a peace-keeper and frankly Kane was doing a piss-poor job. He had sold out his leader, which Echo could never condone. It was the worst kind of treason. She didn't agree with Octavia, but Octavia wasn't her leader. And even so she would never sell her out to Diyoza.

They needed a real peace-keeper. One like Bellamy or Lexa. She knew that if Bellamy and Clarke worked together they could broker a peace deal. They had done it before. She had faith in their leadership skills. She had little faith in Kane. He was too embedded in the situation to see clearly. He needed this peace deal to work because it was keeping him and Abby alive. He had betrayed his own people, hoping they would want their freedom more than they feared Octavia. He had lost that bet on many counts.

Echo knew that she could not afford to lose. Bellamy was counting on her. Clarke was counting on her. Everyone in Wonkru was counting on her. She couldn't afford to mess this up. She thought of Bellamy and his reassuring smile and she sighed deeply. She missed him, but she also knew she didn't need him to complete this mission. She could do this on her own. She balled her hands into fists.

She stood and slipped the USB up her sleeve. Raven needed her. She was starting to walk towards the door when it slid open all of a sudden. A young man with a wild look in his eye walked in and gripped her arm.

"Act calm." His words were anything but calm. She spoke out of the side of her mouth, infusing her words with every bit of ire she had left in her.

"I'm always calm. Who are you?"

"Shaw." He dragged her out of the door and looked from left to right. "You're friends with Raven right?" Echo refused to give anything away until she knew more about him. She only stared at him. He released her wrist and stopped. "I need your help. I can help you get Raven out, but I need you to get me out of here too. I have a plan." He looked at her expectantly. Echo crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm listening."

Raven heard movement. She sat up slowly, feeling every vertebrae in her back crack. Laying on the metal floor of this tin-can was doing horrible things to her back. The door of her cell opened softly. She was amazed something so large and heavy could move so silently. Somebody slipped in, dressed all in black. They kneeled next to Raven and put hands on both sides of her head.

"Raven?"

"Yeah?" Raven asked. "Who are you?" They pulled the mask off their face.

"Raven it's Echo."

"Echo? Took you damn near long enough." She said, forcing a smile to her face. Echo laughed.

"I'm sorry. I wish I was here to say I was breaking you out now, but I can't yet. Shaw has a plan." Raven shook her head.

"Echo don't trust him. He had a plan to help Murphy and I too, but he double-crossed us."

"Trust him? Of course I don't trust him. I'm using him. He's going to help me get the back door implemented in the system and then we're getting out of here. I swear. Be ready."

"I've been ready for days." Raven said with as much bravado as she could muster. Echo smiled.

"Hang in there. I'll get you out as soon as I can." Then Echo was gone, and Raven was left alone again. She laid back down. She might as well sleep while she still could. She smiled to herself. She had known Bellamy and Clarke would get her out of here. They had come back for her when the world was ending, the least they could do now was get her off of this ship.

Murphy was holding a swath of his shirt to McCreary's chest. The crimnal had been badly wounded in the explosion. Murphy cursed himself. Their only bargaining chip was going to die. Emori was out in the woods looking for anything that might stop the bleeding. McCreary wasn't even conscious enough to be of any use. Murphy could feel his pulse slowing.

"Emori!" He yelled. They needed this man, however vile and awful he may be. "Emori he's dying!" There was no response.

Murphy probed the wound with his finger. McCreary groaned in pain. Murphy could feel something in the wound. Probably a piece of metal or something. He tried to grasp it with his fingers, but only succeeded in pushing it farther into McCreary's chest.

Emori ran into the cave holding some moss in her hand.

"Here! Put this on the wound." Murphy stuffed the moss into the wound and McCreary cried out. Murphy and Emori watched the wound hopefully, but within seconds the moss was soaked with blood. Emori cursed and pressed her hands against her head.

"What are we going to do? He's our only way into the camp." She pointed at him frantically.

"I don't know Emori, I'm not a doctor!"

"Well what can you do!" She exclaimed angrily. He sat back against the wall, and looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"Really? Right now, you want to get into it."

"When do you want to get into it John?" The way she said his name made it very clear to him that he was nowhere near forgiven.

"Maybe after our only hope isn't on death's door." He said, without spite in his voice. He pushed himself off the ground and kneeled by McCreary's side.

"There's something in the wound. I think we'll have to get it out before we can stop the bleeding."

"Okay let me see if I can get it." He scooted over so she could kneel next to him. She pulled the moss out and started fishing around in his wound. "Go find more moss. It grows on the shaded side of oak trees." Murphy nodded and left the cave. He tromped through the woods, face impassive. He kicked a bush and was rewarded with a foot full of thorns. His boots were hardly meant for the woods. They were meant for the ring. They were meant for that ship that he thought he was going to live on indefinitely with Raven.

He looked for oak trees, and ventured deeper into the forest. He was confused. And exhausted. Emori had kissed him the other night and she still hadn't said anything about it. It had been a nice kiss, but if they were both honest that had been all it was. There had been no fire in that kiss.

He was a survivor. Survivors didn't make good companions. He had never let anyone mean enough to him that he wouldn't be able to survive without them. Perhaps that was the root of all his hardships with Emori. He knew that he could survive without her. And she knew that he could too. She had tried to save him from that kind of life, but he wasn't sure it was something he could be saved from, or wanted to be saved from anyway. She had tried to make herself mean enough to him that he couldn't survive without her, but people couldn't change that easily.

He had always been a survivor and he wasn't sure he could just forget that part of himself. Not even for Emori. He was better on his own, where he couldn't hurt anyone. Emori knew it too. They hadn't been together for years now. If there had been love, it was gone now. He was tired of trying to fix himself or have other people fix him. Some things just couldn't be fixed.

Perhaps if their came a time when he didn't have to fight to survive he would be able to change. But as long as there was imminent danger he would never be more than a survivor. And he wasn't ashamed of that.

Finally he found an oak tree and scraped as much moss off of it as he could. He made his way back to the cave as quickly as he could without seriously injuring himself in the underbrush. When he returned Emori was holding her hand to McCreary's wound. He presented her with the moss. She put it in the wound and it blessedly stayed green.

They both let out a breath of relief and sat down against the cave wall. They sat in silence for a while before Emori spoke.

"That kiss was a mistake." Murphy pressed his lips together in his usual smirk and nodded.

"Yeah."

"We're no good for each other John. I need something you can't give me."

"And what's that?" He asked, in his characteristically sarcastic drawl.

"I need to be needed. I need someone who will love me as much as I love them. You don't need anybody." He sighed deeply. His next words didn't come to him easily, but he knew that he had to say them. She deserved that much.

"I'm sorry Emori. I never meant to hurt you. I fully intended to love you the way you wanted to be loved, but I'm starting to think I can't."

"That you can't love or that you can't love me?"

"We're different kinds of people Emori. You're a fighter. I'm a survivor. There's a world of difference." She sighed.

"I know." There were no words left to say after that. He was relieved. He felt like the air was clear now. It was better they had this talk now, rather than later. He was no good for her. He probably wasn't good for anyone. The only person he was good for was himself. That was the nature of a survivor.


	6. Chapter 5

Sorry it's been a while!

Chapter 5

Bellamy was driving that morning. Clarke stared out the window looking for the ocean. They wouldn't see it for another day or so, but that didn't stop her from looking. She felt groggy from how little sleep she had gotten and she was glad Bellamy felt well enough to drive.

"You should sleep if you're tired." He said, glancing over at her. She tried to say that she was fine, but in the middle a yawn forced its way up her throat.

"Yeah you seem fine." He said laughing. "Seriously I can hold down the fort for an hour or so."

"I know you can. I would sleep if I could, but I'm just… thinking too much."

"I understand what you mean. It's all a bit much isn't it? I just feel overwhelmed. After six years of algae and space and Murphy being the most challenging problem, I'm just… unprepared."

"I think no matter what our life looks like some traits will stay with us forever."

"How so?" He asked. She paused, choosing her words carefully.

"I think no matter what you will always be an inspiration. You could lead the most uninspiring life and still inspire the people around you. Some people are just different than those around them. Some follow and some lead and some people are a light to others. You are a light."

"What are you?" He asked, sounding genuinely curious.

"I'm just a leader." He shook his head.  
"You don't see it, but you shine too." She smiled, looking down.

"Only when you're with me. The head and the heart." She tapped her chest. He laughed.

"That's perhaps the most apt analogy for us I've heard yet."

"Have there been others?" She asked laughing.

"Sure. The princess and her guard-dog. Wanheda and the commoner."

"You just made those up." She said cracking up. He laughed.

"Maybe."

"I hated that name so much."

"Princess or Wanheda?"

"Both."

"Neither were very indicative of you." He said, looking at her.

"I hope not."

"They weren't, Clarke." Though he kept his tone light, there was steel in his voice. "You were so much more than a councilor's daughter or the commander of death."

"Maybe. Maybe not. I killed a whole mountain of people."

"Everyone seems to forget that we did that. Together." She looked up.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize you wanted to share the title of Wanheda."

"I always was a little jealous that no one wanted to kill me for _my_ power." She threw her head back and laughed. She laughed so hard, tears gathered in her eyes. Bellamy had to pull over the rover he was laughing so hard. They laughed for a long time. It felt good to laugh at something that wasn't particularly funny.

They got out of the rover and sat down on the hard ground. They leaned with their backs against the rover. There were many clouds in the sky that day. They were perhaps the only beautiful thing left on earth that they could see. The ground was barren and desolate and they couldn't see the ocean yet. The clouds drifted into shapes that not even their wildest dreams could conjure.

"I miss the green. I never thought I would say it, but I miss that awful forest. I miss the way it was always damp and the way the air smelled like mold and pine. I miss the way you could hear all the animals calling to each other at once." Bellamy's voice had taken on a distant tone, and he stared up at the clouds almost forlornly.

"It will be green again." She said softly.

"Not in our lifetime." He said sadly. She nodded. It was true. They would see green again, but not like they had in the time before. It would never be like that again. The thought made her infinitely sad. She missed Shallow Valley. It had been her home for six years. She had grown so used to her land, and now she was barred from it.

"But for someone, down the line, it will be like that again." She closed her eyes, remembering that green.

"I regret that I didn't appreciate it more when I had it. I should have been grateful for the beauty while I still could be."

"None of us appreciated it the way we should have. Don't blame yourself. You can't always be the only one taking the blame." He let out a tired laugh.

"Yes I keep forgetting that's your job." His voice was bitter. He stood and ran his hands through his hair. "I need to take a walk." He turned away.

"Bellamy wait!" She stood, holding out a placating hand. "I didn't mean it like that. You know I didn't." He shook his head.

"I just need some air. I'll be back in a bit." He walked off. He stayed within shouting distance, but she felt the distance keenly. She slid back to the ground, head against the rover. She should have known better than to say something like that. Especially with their relationship the way it was. Perhaps 'precarious' was too strong, but 'delicate' certainly summed it up. Getting to know someone again after six years was hard. Or perhaps just relearning how to act around them. She still knew him, but she had forgotten all the nuances of having a close friend. She wasn't the only one with feelings.

She stood and walked towards him. He thankfully stayed where he was. His arms were crossed and he was staring at the endless barren ground.

"I'm sorry." She offered weakly. "That was a thoughtless thing to say. It's been awhile, but that's no excuse. I'm sorry, really." He rubbed his head with his hand.

"No I'm sorry too. I just… You take the blame for everything and you always seem to forget that all those things we did, we did them together. I killed those people in the mountain too." He paused. His voice was dark and filled with emotion the next time he spoke. "You also seem to forget that the decisions I made alone were much worse than the ones we made together. If anyone gets to blame themselves it should be me. I killed three hundred warriors in cold blood. I got Gina and everyone in the mountain killed." He shook his head.

"The decisions I made alone weren't so great either." She said softly. The missile. The bunker. "There's plenty of blame to go around." She laughed without mirth. "We should have learned by now that the only good decisions we make are together."

"We should have." He said, finally turning to look at her. His familiar smile warmed her. She was forgiven. "I think from now on all of our decisions have to be made together. For the good of the human race."  
"I agree."

They walked back to the rover in relative silence. If Clarke closed her eyes she could almost imagine they were walking through the forest. The air was wet and the birds were singing. The morning mist shone in the sunlight creeping through the canopy. There was no desert or endless sand. There was only green.

Their silence didn't last though. The wind started to howl.

"Clarke?" Bellamy looked to her.

"Sandstorm."

"Is that normal here?"

"No." It wasn't normal in this area. She ran to the rover and pulled her map out of the door. "You've been following this map exactly?"

"Yes exactly. I haven't gone off course at all." She bit her cheek.

"This is very bad. If this area is having sandstorms it's a new development. This could be very dangerous for us. We need to get to cover now." Bellamy looked around.

"Where?"

"We'll have to hide in the rover."

"Will that protect us?" He sounded doubtful and she knew it was a very long shot. The rover was not made to withstand winds of this nature.

"Our other option is to try and out-run it."

"As crazy and horrible as that option is, I would much rather run than sit and wait to be killed by tiny shards of glass." Clarke blew out her breath. She glanced at the sky, worriedly. They had to decide soon.

"Alright. Taking our chances on the run it is. Buckle up."

"Ha." He deadpanned. The rover didn't have any seat belts.

She jumped in the driver side and slammed the door. As soon as Bellamy was in she hit the accelerator.

"Keep me updated on the status of the storm. If it gets within four hundred meters of us we have to take cover. Alright?"  
"I'll keep you updated." He gripped her hand. "We'll be fine."

"We have to be. Everyone's counting on us. Not just for food." She added. Though she didn't like to think about it, the others counted on them whether they liked it or not. She and Bellamy were responsible for them.

"I know."

The storm grew darker and the wind grew faster and faster, but they kept a good distance between themselves and the storm. Thankfully it seemed to be moving in the opposite direction of them. After an hour or two of close driving the storm finally seemed to edge off. Clarke kept driving at full speed for a while, but the danger was long gone. She was exhausted, but she couldn't seem to make herself stop driving. She needed to make sure they were far enough away. Finally after about an hour of meaningless driving Bellamy stopped her.

"I think you need to rest. The vein in your neck is starting to pop out." She shot him a look.

"I'm serious Clarke. You don't look so great."

"That's the thanks I get?"

"Thank you, but please rest. You're running on three hours of sleep." She consented to a short nap while he drove, but she was out for almost six hours before she woke back up. It was already dark by the time she opened her eyes again.

"I'm sorry. I slept for a long time."

"You needed it. It's no problem. I was fine."

"Where are we?"

"About a hundred kilometers from the ocean. We should get there in an hour or so."

"Good we're on schedule." She sat up and stretched her neck.

"Were you dreaming?" He asked. "You kept mumbling under your breath." Her brow furrowed.

"I don't remember any dreams." He nodded.

"You kept saying something about Maddy." Clarke sighed heavily.

"I'm so worried about her that I'm mad at her."

"It's normal to occasionally be mad at the people you love." He said, somewhat sarcastically.

"Only occasionally?" He shot her a look. She let it go. He would talk about Octavia when he was ready. She spent the last hour in the rover in nervous anticipation. It had been a long time since she had seen the ocean. Perhaps a year or so. She was excited. She was surprised that they hadn't needed to use the oxygen tank yet. Last time she had went to the ocean she had been feeling pretty sick when she was this far from the Shallow Valley. But of course she had also walked the whole way.

Clarke was staring at the window when she first noticed it. It happened so gradually that she almost didn't take notice of it.

"Bellamy stop!" He braked hard.

"What's wrong?" He asked, fear in his voice. She slammed the door of the rover open. She jumped out of the rover and kneeled down on the ground in wonder. Breathing was impossible when she looked around her.

"Clarke what's wrong?" Bellamy asked frantically. He ran around the rover and stopped dead. "How?" His voice was bewildered and awed at the same time. The exact same way that she felt. "How is this possible?" He asked. It was a more rhetorical question than anything else.

Clarke looked back at him, smiling.

"I knew it. I knew it!" She was kneeling on rocks covered in lichen and small ferns. It wasn't much, but compared to the desert all around them this was practically a forest. It was amazing.

"The closer we get to the ocean…" Bellamy understood what she was saying right away. They jumped back into the rover and Bellamy pushed the rover as fast as it could go. The ground grew greener. After a while they left the rover on foot, scared to kill the plants. They ran towards the ocean passing more and more green. Lichen and moss abounded and small ferns. Even some flowers and small trees. When they finally reached the ocean they were both breathless.

Bellamy let out a cry of joy and jumped into the water. Clarke followed suit and they splashed around in the water for a long time. They were both completely soaked and elated. Bellamy wrapped Clarke in a hug and she held him as if he was her only tether to the world. A dolphin jumped out of the water not far from them.

After an hour or so of swimming they came onto the beach and laid on the sand to dry off.

"I can't believe it." Clarke said for what had to be the hundredth time.

"How did it happen?" Bellamy asked. Clarke smiled.

"I'm sure there's a scientific explanation, but for now I'm just going to accept it as a miracle." Bellamy nodded.

"Imagine when we tell O! There's no reason for us to go to war now. This land is fertile, we can plant crops! We can make a peace deal with Diyoza. We can have peace!" He almost sounded like he couldn't believe it.

"We'll have to think through it carefully though. The Shallow Valley is still a lot more desirable than this land. And we'll have to set up some short of organizational rule."

"Government?" Bellamy's voice was skeptical.

"We can't just live in anarchy. We also can't just expect peace to fall into our lap. We are all warring people. Something will have to inspire us to peace. Something great than ourselves."

"Are you talking about a moral code?"

"Of sorts."

"A constitution?"

"A symbol." Clarke replied. "Something like the round table." Bellamy nodded.

"It's not a bad idea, but I'm not sure how practical. These people aren't unintelligent farmers or pompous knights. These people are pragmatic soldiers. They'll see through any attempt to fool them into peace."

"I know." Bellamy looked at her inquisitively.

"I was thinking more of a person as a symbol. Or several people." Understanding dawned on his face.

"A group of leaders from all factions. A council."

"Yes."

"Who do you have in mind?"

"I'm not sure yet. I have to think about it."

"Alright I'll keep my mind on it as well." Bellamy sighed happily. "For now I just want to lay on the beach." Clarke chuckled.

"That's what we're doing." Bellamy didn't say anymore, just closed his eyes and folded his hands on his stomach. Clarke hummed softly under her breath and picked at the sand around her.

This was the best possible outcome. They couldn't fight now that they knew there was plenty of land for everyone. They would see reason. They had to. Maddy would be able to grow up in peace. They all would have peace. Finally.


	7. Chapter 6

Here's another one! Please review! I will probably put up one or two more chapters today.

Chapter 6

Echo was waiting in the defector room. Not a hair on her head was moving. She was sitting completely still. Shaw had told her that if she moved while he was trying to disable her collar remotely it would shock her and the guards would know something was up. So she sat completely still and she would until he came to get her. The other defectors in the room stayed away from her for the most part. They knew that she was dangerous, and she hadn't attempted to make friends with any of them.

There were eleven defectors in all not counting the ones that had been killed. One of them was a young boy, probably not older than eighteen. He was staring intently at Echo. His eyes were a bright jade green and his hair was dark brown. She looked away from him. He had defected with his mother, but she had been killed when they were escaping. He was alone here.

Finally, the door opened, but it wasn't Shaw who came in. It was Kane. Echo cursed her luck. She couldn't so much as talk to him. She had to act like she was too angry to talk with him. To her surprise he brushed by her. He went to the young boy.

"Hello Aster." Kane sat down next to the boy. "Diyoza would like to talk to you if you would." Aster looked at Kane with hate in his eyes. Kane seemed surprised by that.

"I defected because my mother was defecting. I won't do anything to help that woman or to help a traitor like you." Aster spit at Kane's feet and turned away from him. "You can keep me in this cell for as long as you want. I won't talk to her. I am Wonkru, and _you_ are the enemy." Kane looked shocked. He hadn't been expecting that kind of resistance. Echo watched the boy with renewed interest. Kane stood and turned back to Aster slowly.

"I hope you'll reconsider." Aster looked at Kane and stood quickly.

"I hope you'll die for your crimes. We all knew Abby took those drugs and you were protecting her and her addiction. That medicine could have helped sick people. Sick people like my sister. I hope you both die." Kane left without another word. He knew he couldn't talk his way out of that one. Echo silently applauded the boy. He looked at her from across the room and she gave him a small smile. He turned away.

About an hour later Shaw finally came. No one seemed to notice or care that he was talking to Echo. Everyone except Aster. He watched with guarded eyes. Echo finally moved and she cracked her neck.

"How are you getting in here?" She asked Shaw under her breath.

"I told Diyoza and the guards that I have maintenance work in here."

"Don't they have cameras?"

"The maintenance work is on the cameras; I disabled them yesterday." She nodded. He was smart.

"Okay what's the plan?"

"I'm going to occupy Diyoza and you're going to go to the control room and implement the back door system." Echo held up a hand.

"But couldn't you just disable the eye? Why implement the back door system at all?" Shaw shook his head.

"I could just disable the eye but they would know it was me. This way there will be no trace. After that you'll get Raven and meet me outside the ship. I have a route mapped out for you to get you out of the ship without any trouble. The doors will all be open and the cameras will be on a loop." He slipped her a gun. She slipped it into her waistband. "In case you run into anybody." She nodded. "The ship is parked right outside the village. When you get out hide in the trees on the west side. I'll be there waiting for you."

"I want in." Shaw startled and turned to look at Aster. The boy had sat down next to them. "I don't want to be here anymore than you do." Shaw looked at Echo. She nodded silently. He shrugged.

"Alright, he can talk to Diyoza to keep her occupied. Then I can come with you to implement the door and get Raven. We'll pick up Aster when the guards take him back to the cell." Echo nodded.

"Okay. How long with that take?"

"We'll need at least forty-five minutes."

"I can give that to you." Aster said.

"Okay. When I go back to the control room I'll enable the cameras. Give me about half an hour. Just shout into them that you reconsidered and want to talk to Diyoza and I'll tell her what I heard. As soon as they take him I'll come for you Echo." She nodded.

"Okay let's do this." Shaw left and she and Aster waited. He sat with his arms on his legs. They waited in silence a long time before Echo spoke.

"Was all that true? All that stuff you told Kane?" She kept her voice low.

"Yes. He and Abby are the reason my sister is dead. My mother wanted to leave Wonkru and so I followed her. I may not be as devoted to Wonkru as some people, but I'm no traitor."

"Why is everyone so devoted to Wonkru?" Echo asked. He shook his head.

"They have to be to justify their actions."

"What actions?" Aster looked at her and she could see the pain there. He was scarred by the things he had seen in that bunker. His voice was light, but she could tell the words were hard for him to say.

"Which would you hear about first? The gladiator fights? Cannibalism? Killing the young and the weak?" Echo was horrified, but not surprised. She had expected something like this. The fact that he could talk about it like this indicated to her that he had seen a great deal of these things in the bunker. These weren't isolated incidents, they had been commonplace in Wonkru. "We survived," He continued. "Only because of Blodreyna. But I'm not sure we're human anymore." He turned away from her. Echo said nothing. There was nothing she could say. She couldn't imagine being in that bunker for six years.

"I think it's been half an hour." Aster said as he stood. He walked up to the camera in the corner of the room. "Kane! Tell Diyoza I'm ready to talk." Then they waited. Echo waited and prayed. She didn't often pray, but now seemed as good a time as any. They needed this plan to work. It was no exaggeration to say that the fate of the human race rested on this plan alone.

Not minutes later the door opened and a guard escorted Aster out. Echo waited. It had to work now.

Murphy woke to violent shaking.

"What? What?" He asked, sitting up. Emori was looking at McCreary in horror.

"John he's dead!" Murphy scrambled over to McCreary's body and confirmed what he already knew. McCreary had no pulse. He cursed. That had been there only chance at freeing Raven. He stood and stalked out of the cave. He kicked a bush and raged at it. They needed to get Raven back. Who knew what they were doing to her. It was his fault she was still in there. They had to come up with a new plan. Emori was sitting in the cave when he returned.

"We need to get Raven out."

"John I know."

"I think I might know a way."

"How?" Emori looked at him surprised.

"From afar I kind of look like McCreary."

"That's a horrible plan."

"Do you have a better idea?"

"No, but John that's an awful plan! What are you going to do if someone sees you up close?"

"I'll figure it out."

"No, you'll get killed. We need to think of something else."

"I could turn myself in."

"Do you have any ideas that won't get you killed? Or will actually help Raven?" Emori asked angrily.

"We could sneak into their camp."

"And do what? We don't know where Raven is or how to get her out."

"Are you actually going to come up with ideas or are you just going to shoot mine down?" Murphy asked.

"Just let me think!" She turned away from him. "You're impossible." She muttered. "I might be able to rig another bomb with some of McCreary's gear. We could set off a bomb as a diversion then try and get Raven out."

"We still have the same problem. We don't know where she is." Murphy noted.

"I can try to rig a couple bombs. They will think they're under attack. Then I can commandeer their ship. It won't matter that we don't know where Raven is." Murphy nodded.

"Are you sure you can do that?"

"Yes. I saw the control system when I was on it before. I can fly it. We can fly it to polis. Then they won't have their missiles or their eye in the sky." Murphy nodded.

"That's a good plan."

"Yes it is. I'll start making the bombs."

"What should I do?"

"Bury the body." Emori said looking at McCreary. Murphy sighed.

"Aye aye." He stripped McCreary of all his gear and then dragged McCreary's body out into the forest and started finding rocks to bury it under. He had nothing to dig with so he couldn't dig a grave. A cairn would have to do. He placed stones on top of the body and tried to imagine what life would be like if their plan succeeded. The prisoners and Wonkru would fight. Wonkru would inevitably win even though the prisoners had more firepower. They would have the Valley. Would there be peace? He doubted it. You couldn't just go from being a warring people to being a peaceful people. It was like trying to make a survivor into a peace-keeper. It was impossible. He would just find someplace on the edge of the Valley and live alone. He just wanted to be alone. That was all he wanted.

When he had finished he walked back into the cave. Emori had three bombs.

"We should wait until it's dark. There will be more confusion that way. As soon as it's dark we go."

"Okay." Murphy said. And so they waited.

Echo was still waiting for Shaw. She was starting to worry. It had been at least five minutes since they had taken Aster. That was five minutes less that they would have to enact this plan. Finally he arrived in the room.

"Come." He said quickly. The other defectors looked on with apathy. Echo left and she looked down at the two guards' bodies on the ground.

"Did you kill them?"

"They're just stunned."

"How long?"

"They'll be out for at least four hours." Echo dragged their bodies back into the room and Shaw closed the door. She ignored the defectors and they ignored her. Shaw began running through the hall and Echo followed him.

"Are the cameras disabled?"

"Yes the one's along our route. Sorry it took me so long I had to get Raven's leg brace."

"Her what?"

"They took her leg brace so she couldn't run away."

"Bastards." Echo muttered. They arrived at the control center and immediately ran into trouble. There were two guards there. They hid in the doorway.

"I can take care of them." Echo said quietly. Shaw looked pained, but he nodded. Echo stepped into the room and silenced both guards with two shots. They went to the control panel and she pulled out the USB. He pointed to the port. She plugged it in and they waited for the light to flash green like Monty had told her it would. It flashed red a couple of times and then it flashed yellow.

"What's wrong?" Echo asked Shaw.

"I don't know. I don't know anything about the system."

"Would Raven know?" Shaw nodded slowly.

"Maybe. I'll get her. Wait here, stay out of sight." Echo nodded. Echo glanced at a clock on the wall. By her estimate that had already eaten up twenty-five minutes of their time. They had twenty left give or take. Echo stayed hidded behind a screen. She waited impatiently. She knew that Raven's cell wasn't far from here. Perhaps she should have gone with Shaw. Did he even have a weapon? Would he kill if he had to? She tried to calm her mind. All this worrying would do her no good.

Five minutes later Shaw rushed in, Raven leaning heavily on his shoulder. Raven's face was twisted up in pain, but she smiled when she saw Echo.

"Hey again."

"Hey." Echo said, enveloping Raven in a hug. "This USB isn't working. Monty told me it should flash green when the system was fully implemented. Raven bent down to the computer screen and pulled up a window. She tapped a few keys and then stood. The USB flashed green. Echo grabbed it and slipped it into her pocket.

"No problem. System implemented. What is this system?"

"No time." Echo said. She grabbed one of Raven's arms and Shaw grabbed the other. "We have to get Aster and get out of here." Raven didn't ask anymore questions, just willingly hurried with them.

They rushed through the halls not running into anyone.

"Why is there no one in the halls?" Echo asked.

"I don't know." Shaw said stonily. All of a sudden an alarm began blaring above them.

"What is that?" Echo shouted over the alarm.

"That's the emergency alarm. I don't know why they've set it off."

"Where's the room where they had Aster?"

"This way." Shaw said and turned down another hallway. They arrived at the room to find that the door was locked. Shaw kneeled down by the door panel and quickly opened it. Aster was sitting inside. He jumped to his feet.

"Everyone left. They said there's been an explosion outside in the woods. They said they're under attack! Is it Wonkru?" Echo shook her head.

"They weren't going to attack until the eye was down. No way they got here that fast. It isn't Wonkru."

"There's no time for this!" Shaw shouted. "We need to get out and get as far away as possible." Echo agreed.

"Okay let's go. Aster help Shaw with Raven. I'm going to take up the rear. Everyone move!"

Emori had set off the first bomb. They had run to the next location and were preparing to set off the second bomb. Emori had rigged this one to be a grenade and they were going to throw it into the village. Murphy was panting from the run and he was sitting on the ground as Emori got the second bomb ready.

"Is it almost ready?" Emori didn't answer. She just concentrated on the bomb.

"Okay, pull this and then throw it. You'll have ten seconds. I'll meet you at the third bomb location." Murphy nodded. Emori ran off and he looked at the quickly rigged grenade. He hadn't even had time to ask what the chances were that it would blow him up. He sighed and walked to the edge of the wood. He looked around cautiously but didn't see anyone near him. He pulled where she had told him and threw it into the open space of the village. He ran as fast as he could in the other direction. It exploded being him, sending him flying.

He landed with an 'oof' and the wind was knocked out of him. He rolled onto his back breathing hard. He heard shouts and he knew that Diyoza's people would be there soon. He got up and stated running towards the third location. He was starting to wonder if this had been a good idea after all.

They had made it out of the ship without any problem. They had run into a few prisoners, but things had been so hectic with the alarm and the attack that they hadn't even noticed. They were running through the village now, crouched low to get to the woods. Raven was breathing heavily and Shaw was muttering encouragements to her.

"I'm fine." She said through gritted teeth. Aster's face was set, but his jaw was tight. He'd probably never done anything like this before. Behind them they could hear shouts and Diyoza yelling.

"They're coming this way!" Aster hissed. Echo started to move faster.

"Come on!" Raven continued to slow them down. Her leg was weak. Another bomb went off right to their right. They kept running and ran right into Emori and Murphy. They looked shocked.

"Echo? Raven?" Emori asked.

"Come on!" Echo shouted. Emori and Murphy started running with them.

"What's happening?" Emori asked. "How did you get out? We were going to take the ship!"

"You can't." Shaw said with labored breathing. "There's a lock on it that only Diyoza has the key to, so to speak." Emori looked nonplussed.

"How did you get out?"

"We broke out." Echo said.

"Where are we going?" Emori asked.

"Polis."

"How long will that take?"

"Hopefully only a day or so." Echo said.

"Who's the kid?" Murphy asked.

"I'm Aster."

After about an hour of running they stopped by a river. They filled skins with water for their trip. They didn't have time to get anything else. They had to get back to polis before Octavia attacked. Raven was sitting on the ground, her face white as a sheet. When everyone got up to go she stayed sitting.

"You have to leave me." She said finally. "I'll only slow you down." Murphy shook his head.

"Like hell. We didn't just go to all that work to get you out only to leave you here."

"She has a point." Shaw said quietly. Echo's face was stone. "We can leave her here and come back and get her when we come with the army." Echo looked like she was contemplating it.

"You can't seriously be considering this!" Murphy shouted at Echo. He looked to Emori for help, but she was looking at the ground. Aster faded into the shadows. Murphy shook his head.

"Fine. Then I'm staying with her." Raven looked at him in surprise.

"My knight in shining armor."

"Shut up Reyes." He sat down beside her. Echo looked pained.

"Go as far east in the valley as you can. As far away from the village as you can." Echo said. We'll be back for you. Find water."

"We know how to survive in the woods Echo." Raven said smirking. "We'll be fine. We'll see you guys in a few days." Echo hugged her quickly, then Murphy. Emori hugged them both as well. Shaw and Aster muttered a few goodbyes and then the four were off. As soon as Raven was feeling well enough Murphy helped her up and they limped along the river towards the east side. After a while they stopped and sat down in a cave.

"Thanks for staying with me." Raven said finally.

"Friends stick together."

"I didn't think you had friends Murphy." Raven was smiling even though he could tell she was in pain.

"Just a few." He said smirking. Raven put her head back on the rock and was asleep in minutes. Her breathing was shallow and her face pained, but they were safe for the moment.


	8. Chapter 7

P

Chapter 7

Monty was sitting at the computer when the screen came on. Echo had gotten the eye down. Immediately he put it on a loop. Now Diyoza wouldn't be able to see their movements.

"Harper!" He called. Harper came in from the other room.

"What?"

"Echo got the eye down!"

"Do you have the radio? We should tell Bellamy and Clarke before anyone else. They'll know what to do." Monty nodded.

"Alright I'll radio them."

Clarke was asleep in the rover when the radio came on.

"Clarke and Bellamy come in. Clarke and Bellamy come in." Harper's voice came in garbled over the radio. She shook Bellamy awake then pulled the radio off the hook.

"We're here Harper. What's happening?"

"Echo got the eye down." Bellamy rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"Have you had any contact with her?" He asked her.

"No not yet." Bellamy closed his eyes.

"Have you told Octavia yet?"

"No, not yet. We wanted to talk to you first."

"Good." Clarke said quickly. "You need to tell Octavia that she can't go to war. There are plants here by the ocean. The land is fertile. There's no need to fight for the valley! We have land here. We can make peace with Diyoza and share the land." There was silence on the other line.

"Harper, Monty?" Clarke asked. "Harper? You have to tell Octavia!" Clarke looked at Bellamy desperately.

"We might be out of range." Bellamy said, but he sounded unconvinced. The radio had been working fine. Something had happened to Monty and Harper.

"We need to get back to polis." Clarke said, fear in her voice. What would happen to Maddy if Monty and Harper weren't there to take care of her? They had done some fishing that morning and they loaded the fish into the rover quickly.

"If we don't stop we can make it back to polis in two days."

"That may be too late." Bellamy said, voice tight. She put a hand on his arm.

"Everything will be okay." The easy atmosphere that they'd had for the past few days had dissolved. Now they were one-minded and silent. They needed to get back to polis no matter what. Bellamy's face was pinched and his eyes were red.

"She'll be okay." She said finally. Bellamy looked up.

"Who?" He sounded disoriented.

"Echo." He nodded. "She's smart she'll make it out." Bellamy smiled sadly.

"She doesn't need me really. She's perfectly capable on her own."

"Of course she needs you." Clarke said emphatically. "She may not need you to protect her, but she still needs you."

"I need her more than she needs me." Clarke's heart wrenched in her chest. She understood that feeling more than he could know. She had always felt that way, in every relationship. Except with Bellamy. They balanced each other perfectly. They knew that they were better together. She didn't know what to say to him. She didn't want to lie, but she also knew that he needed to be encouraged. She opened her mouth to give some awkward platitude, but he shook his head.

"It's okay. It's the truth."

"You'll see her soon."

"We hope." They were silent awhile before Clarke spoke again.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did you forgive her?" He smiled.

"How did you forgive me?" She smiled.

"I got to know you, and I grew to love you." He nodded.

"It was much the same. People aren't just made up of their mistakes." Bellamy scratched his neck.

"Clarke?"

"Yes?"

"We know Octavia may go to war even with this new revelation." Clarke sighed. She had been lying to herself on that account since yesterday when they found the oasis. This paradise may change nothing in Octavia's mind. She would still want vengeance. This was about more than land now. This was about Wonkru being threatened.

"I know. We can't do anything though until we get to polis."

"She won't listen to me." Clarke ran a hand through her hair.

"Do you have a plan?" He sounded like he had a plan. He looked out the window.

"Octavia won't accept not being the sole person of power in this new world. Neither will Diyoza. We need to present a leader everyone will follow. It can't be either of them."

"What are you saying?" She asked.

"I think we both know who the people will follow."

"Absolutely not."

"Clarke please think about it."

"No! I won't even entertain the idea. Maddy is a child!"

"So was Lexa! The people will follow Maddy. And it doesn't just have to be her. We can set up a council with her on it as the judge." Clarke shook her head.

"No. What will we do with Diyoza and Octavia then? And all of Diyoza's people? They won't follow Maddy."

"We arrest Diyoza and Octavia. If they won't defer to Maddy then we keep them safely locked away. Diyoza's people will either submit to our law or they will be cast out."

"You've thought about this a lot."

"I've been thinking about what you said about government and symbols. We need a symbol and a government. Maddy can be that symbol and we can create that government. A democracy. Not like the ark. Not like the grounders. Something new."

"What about Gaia and the flame? If we use the flame we'll just revert to the grounder form of government."

"We have to destroy the flame, and anyone who still believes that the right to rule lies in the color of blood and not in merit."

"But we'll be making Maddy's claim to power on the basis of her blood."

"No. We won't."

"Then why will the people follow her if not because she's a nightblood?"

"A symbol." Clarke shook her head.

"I don't understand."

"The people need a symbol. They need to see her be a symbol."

"How do we make her a symbol?" Despite herself, Clarke was listening to and considering this plan. It made sense, no matter how much she hated it.

"A miracle."

"The green."

"Yes. This time they'll be lead by a farmer, not a fighter." Clarke laughed. She couldn't help it. The idea was so absurd, but it made so much sense. If there was something Maddy could do better than fighting it was farming. Her family had been farmers before Praimfaya and in the valley they had farmed most of their food. If anyone could make the green land grow, Maddy could.

"She has to agree to it. It won't be easy, she adores Octavia."

"I know, but she'll see that we need to if war breaks out." Clarke nodded.

"Okay. How long have you been thinking about this?"

"A while." She sighed.

"It's not a bad idea. It's pretty good actually."

"I would never enact it without you. We agreed to make all decisions as a team now." Clarke smiled.

"I'm with you." She said quietly. And she was with him. Despite everything she would always be with him in everything.

Murphy was still asleep when Raven shook him awake.

"Murphy?"

"Yeah what's up Reyes." He sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"My leg."

"What about it?"

"It hurts." He looked at her eyes and noticed that there were tears in them. Raven never cried and she definitely never asked for help. She had to be in serious pain to ask him for help.

"Where?" He asked, kneeling by her side.

"Everywhere." She whispered.

"Okay let me look at it." He took his knife and cut a slit up her leg to mid thigh. He peeled back the dirty fabric and sucked in a breath. Her leg was mottled with black and blue bruises.

"It's all black and blue. What happened? Did they do this to you?" She nodded, eyes closed.

"They took away my leg brace. I was sitting on a cell floor for the past week or two. I knew it would be bad, but I didn't think this bad." Murphy shook his head.

"What should we do?"

"Put me in the river. It will at least help with the pain." She said. He picked her up as gently as he could and carried her to the river. She was light. She had lost weight while she was in that prison. He placed her in the river and she cried out. She gripped his arm and he stumbled into the river beside her.

"Well now we're both soaked." He said sighing.

"Don't expect me to apologize."

"I wasn't." He said smirking. "Raven Reyes apologizing? Unheard of." She slapped his arm. They sat in the cold river for a while. Raven laid her head back on the bank and breathed. Murphy thought she was asleep after a while, but she shifted and sighed after a few minutes.

"So Murphy, how come you keep offering to stay behind with me?" He smirked.

"You always save us. I thought maybe I should at least not leave you behind for once."

"That's almost sweet Murphy." He shrugged.

"No one should be alone forever." She seemed to drift off again.

"What are you going to do after this?" Her voice seemed far away, almost like she was falling asleep. He glanced at her, but her eyes were still closed.

"I'm just going to find a corner of the valley and take that as mine. I just want to be alone."

"I thought you said no one should be alone forever?"

"No one but me." She smirked.

"I might come be alone with you if you don't mind." He looked at her, surprised. She shrugged.

"Clarke and Bellamy have this whole saving the world thing covered. I just want some peace and quiet."

"That's all I've ever wanted." Murphy said quietly. She shifted in the river so she could look at him.

"Will you really leave?" He nodded.

"I've hurt almost everyone. Especially Emori. It would be better for me to just leave."

"Don't give yourself all the credit. There's plenty of hurt to go around."

"Don't forget I'm the one who crippled you." Raven turned away from him. "Sorry Raven, that was -"

"Cruel? Yeah it was. The thing is Murphy, I forgave you for that a long time ago. You were a stupid, scared kid. You're different now."

"I'm not so sure." Raven splashed him with water.

"Stop feeling bad for yourself Murphy. Grow up and realize that you aren't the problem. Everyone's the problem. So things didn't work out with Emori? Try again."

"As if you have any stones to throw on that subject. When was the last time you were in a relationship? Eight years ago? Wick?"

"Well I haven't exactly had a lot of options the last six years. Everybody was paired off. Monty and Harper the old married couple. Echo and Bellamy the destiny couple. You and Emori the problem couple. And me. Don't get me wrong, I love love, but I'm pretty sick of it after six years of living with three couples and no one else. I almost preferred the algae after all that. You'll forgive me if I want to stay single for a while." Murphy laughed. Actually laughed.

"I never thought about how that must have been for you."

"Yeah, I got that. None of you thought about that."

"No wonder you were always in the control room."

"Yeah, no wonder. I was always running into one of the couples having a talk or making out or doing yoga or something. It would have been a lot better if Clarke came with us. At least then I would have had someone to be a perpetual third wheel with me." Murphy raised an eyebrow.

"Can you imagine if Clarke had come with us?"

"It's hard to imagine her not worrying about something."

"It's impossible." Murphy said smirking. "I can't remember the last time Clarke took a day off or relaxed.

"We owe everything to her and Bellamy." Murphy nodded.

"I used to hate both of them." He said laughing.

"Me too. I thought they were so self-righteous. And disloyal. But they're leaders. They have to make choices like that. I wouldn't make a good leader." Raven said rubbing her neck.

"I wouldn't either."

"Let's get out of this river. I'm starting to go numb."

"Sure." Murphy lifted her out of the river and took her back to the cave. After laying her down in as comfortable a position as he could he went back out into the forest. He collected ferns and brought them back to the cave. He constructed a bed of ferns to the best of his ability and laid Raven out on them.

"Thanks Murphy."

"Anything for you Reyes."

Echo and the other three were almost back to polis. They'd already drank most of their water and they were all exhausted. Aster was looking very pale and he was leaning heavily on Shaw. Shaw didn't look so good himself. Echo was exhausted, but she knew the others were looking to her and so she pressed on. Emori was silent. She stared at the ground as she walked. Echo fell in step with Emori, a few feet in front of the boys.

"Are you okay?" Echo asked quietly. She felt that she knew the seven people she had spent the last six years pretty well. She could see that Emori wasn't okay.

"John is… I tried to make it work. I tried to love him enough, but we weren't right for each other. He needs someone who understands him. I can't understand him, even now. We're different in a fundemental way. He's a survivor in a way none of the rest of us are." Emori wiped a tear from her cheek.

"It will be okay." Echo said. "You're strong, you'll get through this." Emori nodded. "Bellamy and I will be there for you. All of us will." Emori nodded again. Echo moved forward again and sighed when she saw the top of polis.

"We're almost there." She said with a small smile. She was excited to see Bellamy. To see his calm face and hear his reasonable voice. As they got closer to polis they saw movement by the edge of the city.

"What's happening?" Emori asked.

"The army is mobilizing." Echo said, jaw tight. Where were Bellamy and Clarke? Surely they were lobbying Octavia not to go to war? She started to run. The other's followed.

She saw Octavia from afar. There was warpaint on her face and a sword in her hand. Maddy was by her side. Where was Clarke? Clarke never would have allowed Maddy to be taken to war at Octavia's side. Where were Monty and Harper? Maddy looked frightened, but she was trying desperately to hide it. Cooper and Indra were standing near Octavia advising her. Echo ran. She knew it would probably mean her life if she tried to stop Octavia, but she had to try.

"Octavia!" Octavia looked up and a smile crept onto her face.

"Well done Echo."

"Where are Bellamy and Clarke? Monty and Harper?" Octavia's face changed.

"Cooper why don't you show Echo and the other's where Monty and Harper are?" The other three were now standing, panting behind Echo. Echo glanced at Maddy who was looking at Echo intently. Maddy gave the slightest shake of her head. Echo looked back at Octavia.

"Where are Bellamy and Clarke?"

"They had to go on a trip to the ocean to get food. I'm sure they'll be back in a few days. This army is marching within the hour. Go with Cooper. She'll take you to Monty and Harper." Echo shook her head.

"Have you talked to Bellamy and Clarke about this? Are you sure war is what you want?"

"Go with Cooper." Octavia's eyes were narrowed and she had ice in her stare.

"I don't think I will." Echo said glancing again at Maddy.

"Take them." Octavia's voice was hard. The people around them descended on the four of them and Echo fought back. Maddy was shouting and Echo struggled to hear her.

"You have to get to Clarke and Bellamy! You have to save them!" Echo didn't understand, but she understood the urgency in Maddy's voice. She broke free from her assaultors and began to run.

"Kill her!" Octavia screamed. Echo ducked behind a building and wove through the streets. The other's would be okay without her. Octavia wouldn't kill them. Octavia may not like them, but she hated Echo.

Where would Bellamy and Clarke be? She had to find Monty and Harper. She jumped into the bunker, certain they would be there somewhere. It would also probably be the last place Octavia's goons looked.

She walked through the deserted hallways and kept her ears peeled for shouts. She was walking through the hydrofarm when she heard shouting. She rushed to the nearest door, but it wasn't coming from there.

"Harper, Monty where are you?" She heard indecipherable shouting from a nearby door. She tried to wrench it open, but something was blocking it.

"I can't open it! Push!" She wrenched again with all her strength. It felt like her arms were being ripped from her shoulders. "Push!" She screamed again. Finally the door came open. Echo sprawled on the ground and Monty and Harper fell out. Monty and Harper both started talking at the same time.

"What? What? Slow down, I can't understand!" Echo said trying to calm them down. Finally Harper swallowed and tried to explain.

"Clarke and Bellamy went to the ocean to get food, but when they got there they found that the land is fertile. There's no reason for us to go to war. They told us to tell Octavia, but when we did she locked us up. She's going to war no matter what. No one knows about the ocean, except them, us and Octavia. They should be on their way back, and they should only be a few hours away but, Echo. Octavia sent an assassin to kill them. You have to save them!" Before the last words were even out of Harper's mouth Echo was already out the door and running out of the bunker. They needed Bellamy and Clarke. Without them there would be all out war, and perhaps the decimation of the human race. That was something Echo couldn't let happen.

She ran towards the edge of polis. She knew the general direction of the ocean. She just hoped that she would see them when they passed. She had to get to them. She had to.


End file.
